Dynamically changing master audio playback device

ABSTRACT

A method for dynamically changing the master audio playback device of a set that includes at least two audio playback devices, wherein one audio playback device of the set is a set master audio playback device that controls the play of audio data by at least one other slave audio playback device of the set. A first slave audio playback device receives its selection as a new recipient of audio data and, in response, the first slave audio playback device is designated as a new set master audio playback device and the set master audio playback device is designated as a new slave audio playback device. The new set master audio playback device controls the play of audio by the new slave audio playback device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to applicationSer. No. 15/212,924, filed on Jul. 18, 2016, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to dynamically changing the master audioplayback device of a set that includes two or more audio playbackdevices.

Sets of audio playback devices, such as multi-room zones, and groupscomprising left-right stereo pairs of devices or multiple devices of asurround sound system, have a master device that ensures that the audiodata is played by each device at the appropriate time. In order toaccommodate the user's desire to select different audio sources for thezone or group, there should be some means to allow the master device tobe changed while the devices are playing audio.

SUMMARY

All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in anytechnically possible way.

In one aspect, a method for dynamically changing the master audioplayback device of a set comprising at least two audio playback devices,wherein one audio playback device of the set is a set master audioplayback device that controls the play of audio data by at least oneother slave audio playback device of the set, includes receiving at afirst slave audio playback device the selection of the first slave audioplayback device as a new recipient of audio data, and in response toreceiving at the first slave audio playback device the selection of thefirst slave audio playback device as the new recipient of audio datadesignating the first slave audio playback device as a new set masteraudio playback device, and designating the set master audio playbackdevice as a new slave audio playback device, where the new set masteraudio playback device controls the play of audio by the new slave audioplayback device.

Embodiments may include one of the following features, or anycombination thereof. The set may include a plurality of audio playbackdevices. The set may comprise a group comprising at least two groupaudio playback devices, wherein the group has one group master audioplayback device and at least one group slave audio playback device,where the group master audio playback device controls the play of audioby the at least one group slave audio playback device. The group maycomprise a left-right stereo pair of audio playback devices. The groupmay comprise multiple surround sound audio playback devices. The firstslave audio playback device may be a group slave audio playback device.The first slave audio playback device may be designated as both the newset master audio playback device and the new group master audio playbackdevice. The new set master audio playback device can distribute audiodata to all other audio playback devices of the set, and the groupmaster audio playback device may control the play of audio by all groupslave audio playback devices.

Embodiments may include one of the following features, or anycombination thereof. The set master device may control the play of audiodata that originates from a first audio source, the selection of the newrecipient of audio data may comprise selection of audio data from asecond audio source that differs from the first audio source, and thenew set master device may control the play of audio from the secondaudio source. The second audio source may comprise a Bluetooth audiodata stream from a Bluetooth-enabled source device. Bluetooth audio datamay be distributed by the new set master audio playback device to allset slave audio playback devices. The audio data may be distributed tothe set slave audio playback devices by one of Bluetooth, WiFi, and viaa local access point. The second audio source may comprise an auxiliaryaudio data input. The first slave audio playback device may comprise auser interface comprising a user-operated switch that when operatedinitiates a Bluetooth connection between the first slave audio playbackdevice and the second audio source.

In another aspect, an audio playback device that is adapted to becomethe new set master audio playback device of a set comprising at leasttwo audio playback devices, wherein one audio playback device of the setis an original set master audio playback device that controls the playof audio data by at least one other slave audio playback device of theset, includes a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive anaudio stream comprising a digital representation of audio content via anetwork and convert the audio stream to analog form, an electro-acoustictransducer, a network interface, and a processor coupled to thedigital-to-analog converter, the electro-acoustic transducer, and thenetwork interface. The processor is configured to receive the selectionof the audio playback device as a new recipient of audio data and inresponse to receiving the selection of the audio playback device as thenew recipient of audio data, designate the audio playback device as thenew set master audio playback device, where the new set master audioplayback device controls the play of audio by the set slave audioplayback devices.

Embodiments may include one of the above and/or below features, or anycombination thereof. The set can include a plurality of audio playbackdevices. The set may comprise a group comprising at least two groupaudio playback devices, wherein the group has one group master audioplayback device and at least one group slave audio playback device,where the group master audio playback device controls the play of audioby the at least one group slave audio playback device. The group maycomprise a left-right stereo pair of audio playback devices. The groupmay comprise multiple surround sound audio playback devices. The audioplayback device may comprise a group slave audio playback device. Theaudio playback device may be designated as both the new set master audioplayback device and the new group master audio playback device. The newset master audio playback device may distribute audio data to all otheraudio playback devices of the set, and the group master audio playbackdevice may control the play of audio by all group slave audio playbackdevices.

Embodiments may include one of the above and/or below features, or anycombination thereof. The set master may control the play of audio datathat originates from a first audio source, the selection of the newrecipient of audio data may comprise selection of audio data from asecond audio source that differs from the first audio source, and thenew set master device may control the play of audio from the secondaudio source. The second audio source may comprise a Bluetooth audiodata stream from a Bluetooth-enabled source device. Bluetooth audio datamay be distributed by the new set master audio playback device to allset slave audio playback devices. The audio data may be distributed tothe set slave audio playback devices by one of Bluetooth, WiFi, and viaa local access point. The second audio source may comprise an auxiliaryaudio data input. The audio playback device may comprise a userinterface comprising a user-operated switch that when operated initiatesa Bluetooth connection between the audio playback device and the secondaudio source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is schematic block diagram of an audio distribution and playbacksystem.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a mixed-mode audio distributionand playback system.

FIG. 3 is a swim lane diagram illustrating steps of dynamically changingthe master audio playback device of a zone and group of audio playbackdevices.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective and top plan views, respectively, of anexemplary audio playback device of the systems of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4C is a block diagram of the audio playback device of FIGS. 4A and4B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Multiple audio playback devices can be organized as a “set” of devicesthat are synchronized such that the audio is played by each device atthe correct time. Synchronization can be facilitated by designating onedevice of the set as the set master device that distributes the audio tothe other set devices and controls the audio playback time of some orall of the other set devices. A “set” of devices can include (or can be)a “zone” of multiple coordinated devices that are typically each playingthe same audio content (e.g., devices in different rooms of a home). A“set” can also include (or can be) a “group” of devices, where thedevices of a group each synchronously play less than all of the audiocontent. Two non-limiting examples of a group include a left-rightstereo pair (where one device plays the left channel content and theother device plays the right channel content) and a surround soundconfiguration with at least two (and usually more than two) devices,each of which plays part of the total surround sound content (e.g., theleft and right front, center channel, and two surround channels for a5.1 surround sound system).

The individual audio playback devices (speaker packages) that are partof a set of devices (e.g., comprise a zone and/or group of devices) eachhave the capability of receiving audio via an auxiliary (Aux) source orvia a Bluetooth source, and to redistribute that audio to other audioplayback devices via a WiFi network or the like. The auxiliary orBluetooth input can be selected through physical buttons on the devices.The devices are each individually configured to provide a stereo output.Two devices can be paired together to provide a left-right stereo pair(or “group”), such that each device in such a “group” provides only onechannel of the L-R stereo audio. A different group configurationincludes multiple devices that are configured as a surround soundsystem; surround sound systems are known in the art.

When devices are “grouped” in this manner, one of the two or more groupdevices will serve as a master and the other(s) as slave(s), as furtherdescribed below. Generally, the master-slave relationship is unknown tothe user. However, a problem exists in that all of the devices in agroup will have aux-in and Bluetooth buttons that allow a user to selectan auxiliary or Bluetooth source for any particular device. So, forexample, a user who is completely unaware of the master-slaverelationship may attempt to pair a Bluetooth source to a slave device.

In the past, if a slave device of a multi-room “zone” comprising two ormore devices synchronously playing the same content was selected toreceive input from a Bluetooth source (e.g., by pressing on theBluetooth button on the top of the slave device housing), then thisdevice would merely break off from the zone and become a stand-alonedevice with its own audio source. However, in the context of a group itis desirable to maintain the association of the group members so thatthey perpetually behave as single speaker (for a left-right stereo pair)or otherwise behave together as designated for the group members.Breaking up the group is not a desirable option. The present disclosurehelps to ensure that if a user presses the Bluetooth or aux input buttonon a group slave speaker the relationship between the group members ismaintained, and the expected response, from the user's perspective, isprovided. That is, the user should be able to select any device of thegroup to receive a Bluetooth or Aux input and the devices shouldestablish the requested connection and maintain the current groupconfiguration and performance.

More generally, in a set of audio playback devices the set master devicereceives audio data from a source, and distributes the data and controlinformation to other devices of the set, which act as set slave devicesunder the control of the set master device. Device audio data receptionand distribution, and master/slave control, are further described below.If during audio play by the audio playback devices of the set of devicesthe user desires to use a slave device to receive audio data (e.g., bypairing a Bluetooth or auxiliary source with the slave), in the currentsystem this slave device is removed from the set and acts as astand-alone device. However, the user may want to maintain the currentsynchronized play among some or all of the devices of the set. Thisobjective can be accomplished by designating the new audio datarecipient as the new set master device, and designating the originalmaster device as a slave. This way, the user can switch audio sourceswithout having to change or reconfigure an existing group or zone ofsynchronized devices.

Audio distribution system 100, FIG. 1, can be used to accomplish amethod for distributing audio data to, and synchronizing audio dataamong, a plurality of audio playback devices that are connected to anetwork. System 100 can also be used to accomplish a method ofdynamically changing the master audio playback device of a zone and/orgroup of devices. System 100 also includes the audio playback devicesand the computer devices that are involved in the subject audiodistribution and master device re-designation. System 100 is adapted todeliver digital audio (e.g., digital music). System 100 includes anumber of audio playback devices 110-1-110-n (collectively referenced as110), which are among the set of audio output devices 112 of the system.In one non-limiting embodiment, the audio playback devices are identicaldevices that each include a digital to analog converter that is able toreceive digital audio signals and convert them to analog form. The audioplayback devices also include an electro-acoustic transducer thatreceives the analog audio signals and transduces them into sound. Theaudio playback devices also include a processor. The audio playbackdevices are connected to one another and also connected to localrouter/access point 114 via network 116. The audio playback devices arethus able to communicate with one another. Network 116 can be a wiredand/or wireless network, and can use known network connectivitymethodologies. Network 116 is part of LAN 118 which is connected to widearea network (WAN) 120, in this non-limiting example by connection toInternet 122. LAN 118 also includes one or more separate computingdevices 124 and one or more separate local digital audio sources 130. Inthis non-limiting example the computing devices include a personalcomputer 126 and a mobile computing device 128 such as a smart phone,tablet or the like. WAN 120 includes server 140 and Internet radioservice 142 which can both communicate with the LAN via Internet 122.

One use of system 100 is to play digital audio data, including but notlimited to an audio stream, over one or more of the audio playbackdevices in set 112. The sources of digital audio provide access tocontent such as audio streams that move over network 116 to the audioplayback devices. The sources of such audio streams can include, forexample, Internet radio stations and user defined playlists. Each ofsuch digital audio sources maintains a repository of audio content whichcan be chosen by the user to be played over one or more of the audioplayback devices. Such digital audio sources can include Internet-basedmusic services such as Pandora®, Spotify® and vTuner®, for example.Network attached storage devices such as digital audio source 130, andmedia server applications such as may be found on a mobile computingdevice, can also be sources of audio data. In a non-limiting example,the user selects the audio source and the playback devices via PC 126and/or mobile device 128.

When a user has chosen to have an audio stream played on more than oneof the audio playback devices of the set, in order for the music to beproperly synchronized such that the same tracks are playingsynchronously on all of the active audio playback devices there needs tobe appropriate and sufficient coordination among all of the active audioplayback devices. One manner in which such coordination can beaccomplished is to use one of the audio playback devices to control thedistribution of audio data to all of the other active audio playbackdevices that are being used to play content. This device which controlsaudio data distribution to the other active playback devices can beconsidered a set master device, and the rest of the active devices(i.e., the rest of the playback devices that are being used to playcontent) can be considered to be set slave devices. In addition to anaudio stream, the set master device also provides control data (e.g.,via a control data stream) to at least some of the set slave devices.The control data includes timing information which enables the set slavedevices to synchronize playback of the streamed audio content with theset master device. In one example, the control data includes a “play at”time, which corresponds to a time when the playback devices are to beginplayback of the streamed audio data. Devices joining the playback setafter playback has started may also use the “play at” time to determinewhere in the stream to begin playback in order to sync up with the otheractive playback devices in the set.

To help ensure that the playback of the audio content is and remainssynchronized, the respective internal clocks of the individual playbackdevices are synchronized. In principle, such clocks comprise anoscillator and a counter. Clock synchronization of audio playbackdevices is further described in application Ser. No. 15/087,021, filedon Mar. 31, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

In an existing multi-device system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,078,072, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference,when one or more playback devices are added to an already playingplayback device, the result is the formation of a multi-device zonewhich is managed by the playback device that was initially playing theaudio. All of the playback devices are clock synchronized. The audiodata that gets distributed to the playback devices are time-stamped, anddue to clock synchronization the audio is played synchronously at allplayback devices. The manager of the zone is the zone master device, andits main functions are audio control and audio distribution. Theremaining device(s) in the zone are referred to as zone slaves. Thedevice which is responsible for the clock synchronization is called theclock master. The clock master is part of the same network as all theother devices, but may or may not be part of the same zone. In somecases the clock master can be the same as the zone master device, but itneed not be.

The main roles of the zone audio master are audio distribution to andaudio control of the slaves. The zone audio master establishes secureconnections to each of the slaves in the zone. This connection may ormay not be over the home router or access point, and the connectionbetween each zone slave and the zone master may or may not be unique(i.e., the connection can be unicast or multicast). Time-stamped audiopackets are then distributed over each of these connections to theindividual zone slaves. The zone slaves use the time-stamps to playaudio at the correct time. Apart from an audio distribution channel,there is also a control channel which is established between the zoneaudio master and the zone slave devices. The control channel is used tosend out audio control messages. When playback is requested at the zoneaudio master, the zone audio master starts buffering the data beforestarting playback. During this time audio is also distributed to thezone slaves through the audio distribution channel.

Two or more of the zone audio playback devices can be configured as acoordinated group, for example for left-right stereo pair playback, oras multiple speakers of a surround sound system. A group can existindependently of a zone. The members of the group are preferablyselected by the user, for example via a user interface (UI) of asmartphone application that can be used to set-up the zone and/or thegroup. The group master device can in one non-limiting example bepre-established as either the left or right device of the group, or as adefined device of the surround sound group of devices. In a group, thedevices of the group play different audio data from one another, atleast some of the time. An example is depicted in audio distributionsystem 200, FIG. 2, with a zone comprising audio playback devices 202,204, 206, 210 and 212. In such a “mixed mode” configuration (i.e., aconfiguration with a synchronized group that is part of a larger zone ofdevices), the roles of zone audio master and clock master still exist.However, there is an additional role of group master, which is performedby one of the devices of the group, and group slave(s), which isperformed by the rest of the member devices of the group. In the presentnon-limiting example, device 210 is the group master of stereo pairgroup 208 that includes devices 210 and 212, one of which is the leftspeaker and the other of which is the right speaker.

Group master 210 is the audio control master of left-right group 208.Group master device 210 can be either the left or the right device ofgroup 208. The other device of the group 208 (i.e., device 212) is thegroup slave to the group master, much in the same way all devices in aregular multi-device zone configuration are control zone slaves to thezone audio master. The main functionality of the group master is todecide when the devices of the group start playback. This decision ismade when the group master receives a play command (e.g., from the zoneaudio master) and (i) all of the devices of the group have reachedminimum required buffer depth to start playback, (ii) the device packagehardware is ready on all group devices, and (iii) the clocks on allgroup devices are synced to the clock master. Both the devices in group208 start playback simultaneously as soon as the group master 210 issuesa command to do so based on these requirements. This is furtherdescribed below.

The role of the zone audio master 202 is the same for this mixed-modeconfiguration 200 as it is for the regular configuration disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 9,078,072. In the case where one device of group 208 isthe zone audio master (i.e., the controller of the zone), any device ofthe group can be the zone audio master.

In the mixed-mode configuration illustrated by system 200, FIG. 2, theaudio control between regular zone slaves 204 and 206 (i.e., the slavesthat are not part of group 208) and the zone audio master remainsunchanged. Control is accomplished over control channels 220 and 222.When the devices of group 208 are part of the zone of devices connectedto the zone audio master, the master 210 of group 208 acts as a controlslave to the zone audio master 202 (via control channel 224), andreceives and processes all control commands. However, the group slave(s)(e.g., device 212) is a control slave to the group master 210 and onlyreceives control commands from group master 210 (via control channel230), as mentioned above. Thus, group slaves do not receive controlcommands from the zone master device.

Zone master 202 preferably distributes audio to all other devices of thezone, including all devices of the group 208, although audiodistribution to the devices of the zone and the group could be handledin other manners, such as from the source directly to each activedevice. Such audio distribution can be accomplished using any currentlyknown or future-developed data distribution technology, including butnot limited to Bluetooth, WiFi, and via a local access point such as ahome router. In this non-limiting example, audio channels 221, 223, 225and 226 are used for distribution of audio from zone master 202 to eachother device. Also, preferably but not necessarily, all devices of group208 receive all of the audio data that is to be played on all of thedevices of the group. Thus both of devices 210 and 212 receive all ofthe left and right audio data (or in the case of a different group suchas a surround sound group, each of the devices of the group receives allof the data for the entire group). This enables additionalfunctionality, such as custom equalization and down-mix for the group,which govern how the audio will be played back on each of the devices.

In a group-only configuration where all devices are part of a group, thegroup master is the only master, and functions in the same manner asdoes the zone master as described above. All of the other group membersare group slaves that receive audio data and control from the groupmaster.

The preferred steps involved in synchronizing audio play among severalaudio playback devices which include a zone and/or group of devices asdescribed above, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/212,246 filed on Jul. 17, 2016, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. Accordingly, synchronization is notfurther described herein.

Referring to FIG. 3, three swim lanes are shown in swim-lane diagram300. FIG. 3 illustrates a mixed mode configuration with a group within alarger zone of devices. Diagram 300 includes lane 302 that relates tothe master audio playback device of the zone of such devices (e.g.,device 202, FIG. 2), lane 304 that relates to the group master audioplayback device (e.g., device 210, FIG. 2), and lane 306 that relates tothe group slave audio playback device(s) (e.g., device 212, FIG. 2). Ifduring audio play by the zone audio playback devices (devices 302, 304and 306 in this example) the user desires to switch audio sources anduse a slave device to receive audio data (e.g., by pairing a Bluetoothsource with the slave), while still maintaining the current synchronizedplay among all of the devices of the zone, and maintaining the desiredassociation of the members of the group, the new audio data recipient isre-designated as the new master device, and the original master deviceis re-designated as a slave device. This way, the user can switch audiosources without having to change or reconfigure an existing zone and/orgroup of synchronized devices.

An example is illustrated in FIG. 3. At step 310, group slave device 306receives a request to act as an audio data recipient. This request cancome in different forms. For example, for a Bluetooth-enabled audioplayback device the user may elect to stream to the slave from aBluetooth source such as a smartphone. Or, the user may select theauxiliary input of a slave audio playback device that includes suchfunctionality. When request 310 is received, the new data recipientdevice 306 is designated as the new zone master device and as the newgroup master device, step 312. In some systems, the zone master is bydefault the device receiving audio data, and in such systems thisre-designation of the slave as the new master will occur by default whenit is selected to receive audio data.

In order to maintain the integrity of the zone such that synchronizedaudio continues to play in the zone (and in the group, if a group ispresent as in the example of FIG. 3), the rest of the devices of thezone need to be designated as zone slaves, and the rest of the devicesof the group need to be designated as group slaves. In one non-limitingexample this re-designation of devices 302 and 304 is accomplished bynew master device 306 sending a reset designation command, step 314.This command can be sent over the existing control channels. The resetcommand is received by device 304, step 316 and is received by device302, step 318. When the processors of devices 304 and 302 receive thiscommand the designations of devices 304 and 302 are changed to zoneslave, steps 320 and 322, respectively. Also, the command causes theoriginal zone master device to disconnect from its current audio source.The zone has thus been reconfigured but still has a single master devicethat receives audio data from the new audio source, and two slavedevices that receive their audio data from the new zone master. Also,since in this case there is a group that includes synchronized devices304 and 306, the group is maintained by also designating device 304 as anew group slave device.

Once the reconfiguration of the zone and the group(s) (if one or moregroups are present in the zone) is complete, operation of the systemreturns to normal wherein the new zone master (device 306) receivesaudio data and distributes it to all the zone slaves, step 324. Also,the zone master provides control information to all zone slaves that arenot slaves in a group, step 326. The group master (also device 306 inthis example) provides audio play control information to all groupslaves, step 328.

In a case in which the set includes only a group (i.e., where there isno zone), the group master controls both audio distribution and audioplay control of the rest of the devices, which are all group slaves. Ifa group slave is later selected to receive audio this slave isdesignated as the new group master and the original group master becomesa group slave. The other original group slaves remain as group slaves.

An exemplary audio playback device 110 will now be described in greaterdetail with reference to FIGS. 4A through 4C. Referring to FIG. 4A, anaudio playback device 110 includes an enclosure 410 and on the enclosure410 there resides a graphical interface 412 (e.g., an OLED display)which can provide the user with information regarding currently playing(“Now Playing”) music and information regarding the presets. A screen414 conceals one or more electro-acoustic transducers 415 (FIG. 4C). Theaudio playback device 110 also includes a user input interface 416. Asshown in FIG. 4B, the user input interface 416 includes a plurality ofpreset indicators 418, which are hardware buttons in the illustratedexample. The preset indicators 418 (numbered 1-6) provide the user witheasy, one press access to entities assigned to those buttons. That is, asingle press of a selected one of the preset indicators 418 willinitiate streaming and rendering of content from the assigned entity.Buttons can also be used for Bluetooth pairing and connectivity with aBluetooth-enabled source and/or for auxiliary data input.

The assigned entities can be associated with different ones of thedigital audio sources such that a single audio playback device 110 canprovide for single press access to various different digital audiosources. In one example, the assigned entities include at least (i)user-defined playlists of digital music and (ii) Internet radiostations. In another example, the digital audio sources include aplurality of Internet radio sites, and the assigned entities includeindividual radio stations provided by those Internet radio sites.

Notably, the preset indicators 418 operate in the same manner, at leastfrom a user's perspective, regardless of which entities are assigned andwhich of the digital audio sources provide the assigned entities. Thatis, each preset indicator 418 can provide for single press access to itsassigned entity whether that entity is a user-defined playlist ofdigital music provided by a Bluetooth device or an NAS device, or anInternet radio station provided by an Internet music service, as twonon-limiting examples.

With reference to FIG. 4C, the audio playback device 110 also includes anetwork interface 420, a processor 422, audio hardware 424, powersupplies 426 for powering the various audio playback device components,and memory 428. Each of the processor 422, the graphical interface 412,the network interface 420, the audio hardware 424, the power supplies426, and the memory 428 are interconnected using various buses, andseveral of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate.

The network interface 420 provides for communication between the audioplayback device 110, the remote server (item 140, FIG. 1), the audiosources and other audio playback devices 110 via one or morecommunications protocols. The network interface 420 may provide eitheror both of a wireless interface 430 and a wired interface 432. Thewireless interface 430 allows the audio playback device 110 tocommunicate wirelessly with other devices in accordance with acommunication protocol such as such as IEEE 802.11 b/g. The wiredinterface 432 provides network interface functions via a wired (e.g.,Ethernet) connection.

In some cases, the network interface 420 may also include a networkmedia processor 434 for supporting Apple Airplay® (a proprietaryprotocol stack/suite developed by Apple Inc., with headquarters inCupertino, Calif., that allows wireless streaming of audio, video, andphotos, together with related metadata between devices). For example, ifa user connects an AirPlay® enabled device, such as an iPhone or iPaddevice, to the LAN 118, the user can then stream music to the networkconnected audio playback devices 110 via Apple AirPlay®. A suitablenetwork media processor is the DM870 processor available from SMSC ofHauppauge, N.Y. The network media processor 434 provides network access(i.e., the Wi-Fi network and/or Ethernet connection can be providedthrough the network media processor 434) and AirPlay® audio. AirPlay®audio signals are passed to the processor 422, using the I2S protocol(an electrical serial bus interface standard used for connecting digitalaudio devices), for downstream processing and playback. Notably, theaudio playback device 110 can support audio-streaming via AirPlay®and/or DLNA's UPnP protocols, and all integrated within one device.

All other digital audio coming from network packets comes straight fromthe network media processor 434 through a USB bridge 436 to theprocessor 422 and runs into the decoders, DSP, and eventually is playedback (rendered) via the electro-acoustic transducer(s) 415.

The network interface 420 can also include a Bluetooth low energy (BTLE)system-on-chip (SoC) 438 for Bluetooth low energy applications (e.g.,for wireless communication with a Bluetooth enabled controller (notshown)). A suitable BTLE SoC is the CC2540 available from TexasInstruments, with headquarters in Dallas, Tex.

Streamed data pass from the network interface 420 to the processor 422.The processor 422 can execute instructions within the audio playbackdevice (e.g., for performing, among other things, digital signalprocessing, decoding, and equalization functions), includinginstructions stored in the memory 428. The processor 422 may beimplemented as a chipset of chips that include separate and multipleanalog and digital processors. The processor 422 may provide, forexample, for coordination of other components of the audio playbackdevice 110, such as control of user interfaces, applications run by theaudio playback device 110. A suitable processor is the DA921 availablefrom Texas Instruments.

The processor 422 provides a processed digital audio signal to the audiohardware 424 which includes one or more digital-to-analog (D/A)converters for converting the digital audio signal to an analog audiosignal. The audio hardware 424 also includes one or more amplifierswhich provide amplified analog audio signals to the electroacoustictransducer(s) 415 for playback. In addition, the audio hardware 424 mayinclude circuitry for processing analog input signals to provide digitalaudio signals for sharing with other devices in the acoustic system 100.

The memory 428 may include, for example, flash memory and/ornon-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). In some implementations,instructions (e.g., software) are stored in memory 428. Theinstructions, when executed by one or more processing devices (e.g., theprocessor 422), perform one or more processes, such as those describedabove (e.g., with respect to FIG. 3). The instructions can also bestored by one or more storage devices, such as one or more computer- ormachine-readable mediums (for example, the memory 428, or memory on theprocessor). The instructions may include instructions for performingdecoding (i.e., the software modules include the audio codecs fordecoding the digital audio streams), as well as digital signalprocessing and equalization.

Elements of figures are shown and described as discrete elements in ablock diagram. These may be implemented as one or more of analogcircuitry or digital circuitry. Alternatively, or additionally, they maybe implemented with one or more microprocessors executing softwareinstructions. The software instructions can include digital signalprocessing instructions. Operations may be performed by analog circuitryor by a microprocessor executing software that performs the equivalentof the analog operation. Signal lines may be implemented as discreteanalog or digital signal lines, as a discrete digital signal line withappropriate signal processing that is able to process separate signals,and/or as elements of a wireless communication system.

When processes are represented or implied in the block diagram, thesteps may be performed by one element or a plurality of elements. Thesteps may be performed together or at different times. The elements thatperform the activities may be physically the same or proximate oneanother, or may be physically separate. One element may perform theactions of more than one block. Audio signals may be encoded or not, andmay be transmitted in either digital or analog form. Conventional audiosignal processing equipment and operations are in some cases omittedfrom the drawing.

Embodiments of the systems and methods described above comprise computercomponents and computer-implemented steps that will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. For example, it should be understood by one of skillin the art that the computer-implemented steps may be stored ascomputer-executable instructions on a computer-readable medium such as,for example, floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, Flash ROMS,nonvolatile ROM, and RAM. Furthermore, it should be understood by one ofskill in the art that the computer-executable instructions may beexecuted on a variety of processors such as, for example,microprocessors, digital signal processors, gate arrays, etc. For easeof exposition, not every step or element of the systems and methodsdescribed above is described herein as part of a computer system, butthose skilled in the art will recognize that each step or element mayhave a corresponding computer system or software component. Suchcomputer system and/or software components are therefore enabled bydescribing their corresponding steps or elements (that is, theirfunctionality), and are within the scope of the disclosure.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that additional modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the inventive concepts described herein,and, accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

For example, the concepts described above work not only with dedicatedspeaker packages, such as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C, but also withcomputers, mobile devices, and other portable computing devices that canreceive digital audio data and transduce it into sound.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising; at least two audio playbackdevices, wherein one audio playback device is a master audio playbackdevice that is configured to receive audio data from a first audiosource and send the received audio data to at least one other slaveaudio playback device, wherein the at least one other slave audioplayback devices is configured to receive audio data only from themaster audio playback device and not from the audio data source; whereina first slave audio playback device is configured to receive a selectionof the first slave audio playback device as a new recipient of audiodata from the audio data source; and wherein, in response to the firstslave audio playback device receiving a selection as the new recipientof audio data from the audio data source, designating the first slaveaudio playback device as a new master audio playback device, anddesignating the master audio playback device as a new slave audioplayback device, wherein the new master audio playback device isconfigured to receive audio data from the audio data source and send thereceived audio data to the new slave audio playback device, wherein thenew slave audio playback device is configured to receive audio data onlyfrom the new master audio playback device and not from the audio datasource.
 2. The system of claim 1, comprising at least three audioplayback devices.
 3. The system of claim 1, comprising a groupcomprising at least two group audio playback devices, wherein the grouphas one group master audio playback device and at least one group slaveaudio playback device, where the group master audio playback device isconfigured to control the play of audio by the at least one group slaveaudio playback device.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the groupcomprises a left-right stereo pair of audio playback devices.
 5. Thesystem of claim 3, wherein the group comprises multiple surround soundaudio playback devices.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein the firstslave audio playback device comprises a group slave audio playbackdevice.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the audio playback devicescomprise a set of devices comprising one set master device and at leastone set slave device, and wherein the first slave audio playback deviceis designated as both the new set master audio playback device and thenew group master audio playback device.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the new set master audio playback device is configured todistribute audio data to all other audio playback devices of the set,and wherein the group master audio playback device is configured tocontrol the play of audio by all group slave audio playback devices. 9.The system of claim 7, wherein the set master is configured to controlthe play of audio data that originates from a first audio data source,and wherein the selection of the first slave audio playback device asthe new recipient of audio data comprises selection of audio data from asecond audio data source that differs from the first audio data source,and the new set master device is configured to control the play of audiodata from the second audio data source.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the second audio data source comprises a Bluetooth audio datastream from a Bluetooth-enabled source device.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein Bluetooth audio data is distributed by the new set masteraudio playback device to all set slave audio playback devices.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the audio data is distributed to the setslave audio playback devices by one of Bluetooth, WiFi, and via a localaccess point.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second audio datasource comprises an auxiliary audio data input.
 14. The system of claim9, wherein the first slave audio playback device comprises a userinterface comprising a user-operated switch that when operated initiatesa Bluetooth connection between the first slave audio playback device andthe second audio data source.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein eachaudio playback device comprises: a digital-to-analog converterconfigured to receive an audio stream comprising a digitalrepresentation of audio content via a network and convert the audiostream to analog form; an electro-acoustic transducer; a networkinterface; and a processor coupled to the digital-to-analog converter,the electro-acoustic transducer, and the network interface, theprocessor configured to: receive the selection of the audio playbackdevice as a new recipient of audio data from the audio data source; andin response to receiving the selection of the audio playback device asthe new recipient of audio data from the audio data source, designatethe audio playback device as the new set master audio playback device,wherein the new set master audio playback device is configured toreceive audio data from the audio data source and send the receivedaudio data to the set slave audio playback devices, wherein the slaveaudio playback devices are configured to receive audio data only fromthe new master audio playback device and not from the audio data source.16. The system of claim 1, wherein the new master audio playback deviceis configured to designate the master audio playback device as a newslave audio playback device.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein thedesignation of the master audio playback device as a new slave audioplayback device is accomplished using a reset designation command. 18.The system of claim 17, wherein the reset designation command causes themaster audio playback device to disconnect from the first audio datasource.
 19. A system, comprising; a plurality of audio playback devicesorganized into a set of audio playback devices, wherein each audioplayback device comprises a digital-to-analog converter configured toreceive an audio stream comprising a digital representation of audiocontent via a network and convert the audio stream to analog form, anelectro-acoustic transducer, a network interface, and a processorcoupled to the digital-to-analog converter, the electro-acoustictransducer, and the network interface; wherein one audio playback deviceis a set master audio playback device that is configured to receiveaudio data from a first audio source and send the received audio data toat least one other set slave audio playback device, wherein the at leastone other set slave audio playback device is configured to receive audiodata only from the set master audio playback device and not from theaudio data source; wherein at least some of the set audio playbackdevices are organized into a group comprising at least two group audioplayback devices, wherein the group has one group master audio playbackdevice and at least one group slave audio playback device, where thegroup master audio playback device is configured to send the receivedaudio data to the at least one group slave audio playback device;wherein the processor of a first set slave audio playback device isconfigured to receive a selection of the first set slave audio playbackdevice as a new recipient of audio data from the audio data source; andwherein, in response to the processor of the first set slave audioplayback device receiving a selection as the new recipient of audio datafrom the audio data source, designating the first set slave audioplayback device as a new set master audio playback device anddesignating the set master audio playback device as a new set slaveaudio playback device, wherein the new set master audio playback deviceis configured to receive audio data from the audio data source and sendthe received audio data to the new set slave audio playback device,wherein the new set slave audio playback device is configured to receiveaudio data only from the new set master audio playback device and notfrom the audio data source.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein thegroup comprises at least one of a left-right stereo pair of audioplayback devices, and multiple surround sound audio playback devices.